I am on an elemental diet and finding its very helpful in resting my bowel. I have just had an incision and drainage for an abscess so I want to get a chance to heal rather than having any problems digesting food. It seems to be very helprul in reducing inflammation. I am worried though because the stuff I take (called Elemental 028) is loaded with sugar.

Now I've read a lot of these posts and it seems sugar is one of the worst things for encouraging the bad bacteria and causing an overgrowth of candida. Does anyone have any thoughts on this or know of an elemental diet that doesn't have sugar in it?

Some people who are on the specific carbohydrate diet mention a scd liquid diet, what does that mean?had crohns for 15 years took pentasa then nothing but diet but stricture appeared 3years ago and problems since.

I wouldn't worry about the sugar. The human digestive tract can't digest any carbohydrates except simple sugars, so even if we eat more complex carbohydrates it breaks them down into sugar anyway. The elemental diet will not encourage the growth of any bad bacteria; there is no scientifically plausible way it could do so. In any case, that particular formula has been shown to induce remission in clinical studies, so if it is working for you I would have no hesitation in continuing to use it. Hope this helps.

Thank you writer thats so interesting but coul you expand? when you say there is no plausible way elemental diet could cause growth of bad bacteria, is that because you dont believe in the whole idea of sugar encouraging overgrowth of harmful bacteria or for another reason.?

had crohns for 15 years took pentasa then nothing but diet but stricture appeared 3years ago and problems since. Had abscesses more than once

Well, complex subject, but here's a couple of reasons. First, most gut bacteria live in the large intestine because the waves that push along your intestinal contents move significantly slower there than in the small intestine and the bacteria that ferment undigested carbohydrates prefer a quiet environment. The elemental formula you're using contains predigested carbohydrates, so to speak; that is to say, carbohydrates already broken down into the form that the small intestine is best able to absorb (that is, sugars). Therefore, they're going to be slurped up by those small intestinal cells rather than passed on to the large intestine to be fermented.

Now, the small intestinal bacteria overgrowth that people refer to typically occurs when the motility (speed of transit of the intestinal contents) becomes abnormally slow and therefore the small intestine becomes more hospitable to those gut bacteria that like to feed on carbohydrates. Sugar doesn't slow intestinal transit. Instead, slowed motility is primarily caused by damage to the small intestine such as a little area that is blocked off or diabetic neuropathy or ulcers and inflammation as in Crohn's disease, damage which can decrease small intestinal motility. There have been several studies showing that enteral nutrition (elemental, semi-elemental, and polymeric diets) can INCREASE, and even normalize, abnormally slow intestinal transit in people with Crohn's. Therefore, in using this elemental formula, you are actually decreasing your risk of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth because you are healing the damaged lining of the intestine and restoring normal motility.

Thank you very much writer for explainign that i shall go back to th liquid gunk more happily. I hadnt realised most of the problem bacteria were in the large intestine. i ws picturing them damaging the smal intestine, where my crohns is.

had crohns for 15 years took pentasa then nothing but diet but stricture appeared 3years ago and problems since. Had abscesses more than once